A Fallen Angel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Mythology Is an Angel Who Has Been Exiled Or Banished from Heaven
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A fallen angel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic mythology is an angel who has been exiled or banished from Heaven. Often such banishment is a punishment for disobeying or rebelling against God (see War in Heaven). Judaism Main article: angel (Judaism) The mention of the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 ("The sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose") has sometimes been interpreted, both in Judaism and in Christianity, as a reference to fallen angels. The pre-Christian apocryphal Book of Enoch recounts that a group of 200 rebellious angels, or Watchers, left heaven and came down to Earth to marry human women and have children with them.[1] [edit] New Testament [edit] 2 Peter and Jude The only explicit references to "angels that sinned" in the New Testament are found in the Second Epistle of Peter and the Epistle of Jude where a "fall" from heaven is implied from "left their own habitation", which is one of three places where Jude quotes explicitly from the pseudepigraphical First Book of Enoch: And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he “ hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. - Jude 1:6, KJV ” The Unitarian Joseph Priestley suggested that the passages refer to Korah.[2] William Graham (1772) suggested that it referred to the spies in Canaan.[3] These passages are generally held today to be commentary, either positive or neutral or negative, on Jewish traditions concerning Enoch circulating in the Early Church.[4] [edit] Other possible New Testament examples The New Testament contains two other possible allusions to fallen angels. The "war in heaven" of Revelation 12, and Christ's reference to the "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" at judgement in Matthew 25. These two examples do not specifically mention a "fall" of angels, but this may be implied in the use of apocalyptic Jewish themes.[5] An explicit reference to a "fall" is found in Luke 10:18, often read as concerning the "fall" of Satan himself, although the New Testament never explicitly identifies Satan himself as an "angel".[6] The translation "fall from heaven, like lightning" or "fall, like lightning from heaven" is disputed.[7] [edit] Early Christianity ت Main article: Lucifer From the 5th Century CE, literature develops about Lucifer, a name frequently attributed to the Devil in Christian belief. This usage stems from a particular interpretation of Isaiah 14:3- 20, by Origen and others,[8] that speaks of someone who is given the name of "Day Star" or "Morning Star" (in Latin, Lucifer) as fallen from heaven. The Latin word lucifer, "shining one", however, does not refer to Satan anywhere in the Bible. Some see the passage as using this name to describe the king of Babylon, who had exalted himself as being deity himself, after which God would cast him down. Similar terminology is used in Ezekiel to describe the king of Tyre. The Greek word used in the Septuagint of Isaiah 14;12 is Ἑωσφόρος (Heosphoros, "dawn-bearer"),[9][10][11] not φωσφόρος, the etymological synonym of Latin lucifer,[12][13] used in 2 Peter 1:19 of the morning star, which is mentioned also elsewhere in the Bible with no reference to Satan. Satan is called Lucifer in many later writings, notably John Milton's Paradise Lost (7.131- 134, etc.), in which Milton writes that Satan was "brighter once amidst the host of Angels, than the sun amidst the stars."[14] [edit] Islam around ninety times, usually in the plural and (ملك The Quran mentions angels (malak referring to obedient angels. The Quran states that Satan was a Jinn (as in Islam, angels do not have free will and act only as instruments of Allah) though he is addressed with the angels in verses (2:34,[15] 7:11, 15:29, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116, 38:71) prior to his fall. Satan (also called Iblis from Greek diabolos, "the devil") rebelled and was banished on earth, and he vowed to create mischief on earth after being given respite by Allah till the Day of Judgment, according to verses (80-85:38).[16] Apparently Jinns, like humans, have a choice about which side to be on, and will be judged on the last day. .are two angels sent to test the people of Babylon (هاروت وماروت :Harut and Marut (Arabic That there are fallen angels is not explicit in the Quran, but occurs in Tafsir, even though the Qur'an explicitly states angels have no free will, but are like appendages of Allah.[17][18] [edit] Prospects of salvation of fallen angels The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of "the fall of the angels" not in spatial terms but as a radical and irrevocable rejection of God and his reign by some angels who, though created as good beings, freely chose evil, their sin being unforgivable because of the irrevocable character of their choice, not because of any defect in the infinite divine mercy.[19] 19th-century Universalists such as Thomas Allin (1891)[20] claimed that Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Gregory of Nyssa taught that even the Devil and fallen angels will eventually be saved.[21] I. Preliminary considerations. A. That there is an order of beings quite distinct from humanity and from the Godhead, who occupy an exalted state, is the teaching of much of Scripture. 1. They are referred to at least 108X in the Old Testament and 165X in the New Testament. 2. It is from this body of Scripture that we construct the Doctrine of Angels. B. The designation "angel", whether %a'l.m; (mal-ak) of the Old Testament, or a;ggeloj (aggelos) of the New Testament, means "messenger". 1. The holy angels carry out the purpose of the One they serve. 2. The fallen angels are messengers of Satan whom they have chosen to serve. C. Angels as created beings more closely resemble God in their make up than man. Angels combine the material with the immaterial. 1. Angels are thus designated "spirits". 2. These generally unseen creatures not only observe the activities of men, but the good angels minister to man (Heb.1:14). 3. The evil angels wage war against man (Eph.6:12). II. The creation of angels. A. The Son of God, the Father's agent in creation, created the angels (Col.1:16,17; Neh.9:6; Ps.148:2,5). 1. All angels were created simultaneously in eternity past. 2. None will be added to their number. 3. They do not procreate and are not subject to death (Mt.22:28-30). B. The angels were created before the universe. They were worshipping spectators when the world was founded (Job.38:4-7). C. As to the number of the angels, it is unstated, but it is a multitude (Heb.12:22; 1Kgs.22:19; Ps.68:17; Dan.7:10; Rev.5:11). III. The nature of angels. A. They are incorporeal beings (i.e., having no material body; Ps.104:4 "He makes the winds His messengers"; Eph.6:12). B. However, they can reveal themselves in bodily form (Gen.18-219; Mt.1:20; Jn.20:12; Heb.13:2). C. They are greater than man in knowledge, but are not omniscient (2Sam.14:20; Mt.24:36; 1Pet.1:12). D. They are stronger than man, but are not omnipotent (Ps.103:20; 2Pet.2:11; 2Thess.1:7). E. Angels possess volition, as seen in the fall of Satan. IV. The fall of angels. A. The fact of their fall. 1. Angels were all created perfect and sinless, as the case with Satan makes apparent (Ezek.28:15). 2. Satan's fall is described in Ezek.28:15-17 (cp. Isa.14:12). 3. Satan took with him one-third of all angels (Rev.12:4). 4. Scripture represents some of the angels as evil (Mt.25:41). B. The time of their fall was before man's creation and sometime after original creation. Gen.1:2 speaks of the pre-restoration chaos of planet earth, and Gen.3 speaks of man's temptation and fall under Satan. C. The cause of their fall. 1. Angels, being created perfect but with volition, individually chose to follow Satan's lead and revolt against God (Ezek.28:15-17; Rev.12:4). 2. God is not the cause of their fall, as that would make Him the author of evil in the universe (Jam.1:13; 1Jn.1:5). 3. God created the angels with volition knowing some would fall and bring evil into the universe, but God is not responsible for their sin (note the five "I will's" of Satan in Isa.14:13,14). D. The result of their fall. 1. They lost their original holiness and became corrupt in nature and conduct (Mt.10:1; Eph.6:11,12). 2. They were sentenced to hell but were not immediately sent there (Mt.25:41; cp. Rev.20:10). 3. They were left free to engage in opposition to: a. God (Isa.14:12-14). b. The work of the good angels (Dan.10:12,13,20,21; Jd.9). c. The people of God (1Chr.21:1; 1Pet.5:8; Eph.6:11; 2Tim.2:26). d. The nations (Isa.14:12). e. The unbeliever (Lk.8:12; 2Cor.4:3,4). 4. Satan, through the serpent in Eden, caused Adam's fall and has the power over death to mankind (Gen.3; Heb.2:14; 1Jn.3:8).